Over supper, baked chicken and wine from a nearby vineyard, we talked about the Works' farm and the state of American agriculture. The Works are progressive, or holistic, farmers striving to balance their financial needs with social and environmental concerns.
They started hosting farm stays (and lobbied for the law that allows them) to supplement their income. The agricultural value of, and profit from, their enormous acreage is far less than the tens of millions it would fetch from developers. The Works aren't selling, though other area farmers have.
We learned all this while our son was systematically emptying the Works' cat-food container onto their kitchen floor, an activity Elaine condoned. "A half-hour of entertainment taken care of with the sweep of a broom," she said.
At 8:30 p.m., we returned to our bungalow. It was country chic, with white shag carpet, floral wallpaper and artificial flowers. In the living room, copies of Range, Sunset and Fine Gardening magazines lay atop the coffee table between an overstuffed couch and electric fireplace.
After tucking our son into one of the twin beds, we spent the rest of the night in conversation. There was no TV, no cellphone service, and we didn't miss either.
*
A rural awakening
Our 2-year-old normally serves as our alarm clock, but on Saturday we were awakened by a rooster. He had been crowing since about 5 a.m., but we ignored him for two hours. We got over to the Works by 8 a.m. for breakfast, which, like dinner, is included in the price of a night's stay.
Around 9, one of the Works' grandchildren showed up to bake her own birthday cake for a party at the house later that night. All three of the Works' children and five grandchildren live elsewhere on the property and visit the main house regularly.
We followed George outside. First stop was a stable to feed his two sheep. Next was the chicken coop to meet our rooster friend and his clucking progeny. Afterward, we headed down the hill, where George swept Carpenter up into his lap for a tractor ride.
Mission (half) accomplished.
A short drive took us to a remote area of the property for a guided nature walk. Walking across ground that had been rooted by wild pigs, George explained that he's testing grasses to find some that will both feed his cows and rejuvenate the soil. We visited a dry streambed and discovered sand dollars and a small piece of petrified wood.
